Chapter 19: The New Dynamic
I. The Balance of Power
Following the formal swearing-in of the Royal Guards, the balance of power in the palace had fundamentally shifted. King Alaric had not only given Prince Evan an impenetrable shield but had also elevated him to the Supreme Council for Internal Affairs, directly challenging the authority of Theron and Alexander.
Theron observed his own five Royal Guards—a unit that had served him for years—and realized Evan's new team was now strategically untouchable. Lysandra, the former shadow broker, was now officially protected from Theron's network by the King's own decree.
Theron (to his chief spy): "He secured his shield and his eyes in a single move. Garrick's death was a political assassination, but this appointment is a military coup sanctioned by the King himself. We cannot breach that wall. We must analyze his new game."
II. The Council for Internal Affairs
Evan's first official duty was the meeting of the Supreme Council. The Queen, Alessa, immediately seized the opportunity to attack Evan's lack of experience and his recent controversial actions (the elimination of Renwick and the financial reforms in the North).
Queen Alessa: "Third Prince, your 'Strategist' decisions are destroying the Kingdom's protocol. You have no experience on this Council. You should show humility and explain the unnecessary violence."
Evan met her challenge with the composed, unyielding Oratorical Command of a true Master of Influence.
Evan: "Mother, my experience is not on paper; it is in the field. While you debated protocol, I neutralized a traitor and stopped a Volkar advance. My primary duty is to secure the Kingdom. If my decisions break a corrupt system, I consider it a necessary Surgical Procedure."
He linked every action directly to the undeniable threat of Volkar and Garrick's treason. Since Alessa could not openly defend a traitor, she was forced into silent, simmering rage. Evan had won the first institutional battle.
III. The Strategic Command
Immediately after the Council meeting, Evan summoned his two most critical Royal Guards: Captain William and Captain Lysandra.
Evan (issuing orders): "Our first priority is the mandate from the King: dismantling the remaining Volkar infiltration cells in the capital. William, you will use your 10-person squad for maximum show of force in the public squares and noble districts. You are the visible shield, designed to draw the enemy's gaze and the attention of Theron's spies."
Evan (turning to Lysandra): "Lysandra, your 10-person team—drawn from your own intelligence network—will do the real work. You will avoid the visible targets and track the mercantile channels and black markets. Volkar agents hide among the shadows of commerce. I need precise targets and the physical evidence of their infiltration."
This deployment confirmed Evan's new methodology: William's massive force would act as a political smokescreen, while Lysandra's stealth and Strategic Acumen would achieve the objective.
The war was no longer about survival; it was about the Kingdom's Internal War, and Evan had begun to dictate the terms.